Sen. Pat Toomey on Thursday spoke against Congress approving another coronavirus relief package.
“It’s not obvious to me that we need to load the money cannon and fire that off again,” the Pennsylvania Republican told Yahoo Finance.
Toomey, who sits on the budget, finance, and banking committees, reasoned that relief legislation could provide an incentive for unemployed workers to stay out of the jobs market. The CARES Act, enacted in March, included a $1,200 stimulus check and provided an additional $600 weekly check to unemployed workers beyond their regular benefit. Several Republicans have said that these provisions have provided a disincentive to find work.
Toomey said he prefers legislation that seeks to help the economy reopen.
“We really need to be reopening, allowing people to return to their livelihoods, and for businesses to return to work that comes from reopening,” he said. “So I would be very, very reluctant for any kind of legislation that’s going to have the effect of delaying the reopening.”
Toomey supported the CARES Act, saying on Twitter that the pandemic required “unprecedented action” to “ensure American’s livelihoods are intact when we get through this.”
That bill, according to the senator, provided nearly $6 trillion in relief, and all of it “is not out the door yet,” and Congress should move “very, very cautiously” before deciding to “launch more money out.”
